1854 



ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. 



PART 111. 



17H 



oak in his own nur- 

 sery, as described 

 above from the Phi- 

 losoph. Transactions, 

 in 1772. "Quercus 

 Lucombeawa," Mr. 

 Pince informs us, "is 

 a hybrid produced 

 between Q.<Suberand 

 Q. Cerris; the latter 

 species being the 

 female parent. It 

 was raised by the 

 late Mr. Lucombe, 

 who was founder of- 

 the Exeter Nursery, 

 from seeds gathered 

 by him off a speci- 

 men tree of Q. Cer- 

 ris, which grew in his 

 nursery, near to one 

 of Q,. iSuber, which 

 accounts for its hy- 

 brid origin ; the blos- 

 som of the Turkey 

 oak having doubtless been impregnated by the farina of the cork tree. 

 Mr. Lucombe first noticed it about 75 years ago, and extensively 

 propagated and sold it all over the kingdom. When the original 

 tree had attained 20 years' growth, and was about 3ft. in circum- 

 ference, Mr. Lucombe, being then far advanced in years, had it cut 

 down, for the purpose of making his coffin out of it. He, however, 

 lived so much longer than he had anticipated, that several years be- 

 fore his death, he had another much larger and older tree cut down, 

 sawn into planks, and carefully deposited under his bed, in readiness 

 for the above purpose ; and inside those planks, over which for many 

 years he had reposed, he was at last put to rest, at the advanced age 

 of 102 years. The largest and finest specimens of the old Lucombe 

 oak now existing are growing at Killerton, the beautiful residence 

 of Sir Thomas D. Acland, Bart., near Exeter, where, in 1834, a 

 tree, 80 years planted, was 73 ft. high; diameter of the trunk 3ft. 5 in., 

 and of the head 62 ft. At Castle Hill, the splendid demesne of Earl 

 Fortescue, near South Molton ; and at Carclew, the seat of Sir 

 Charles Lemon, Bart., near Falmouth, in Cornwall ; are other very 

 fine trees : one at the latter place, in 1834, 70 years planted, 

 being 82 ft. 4 in. high ; diameter of the trunk 3 ft. 3 in., and of the 

 head 40 ft. The old Lucombe oak differs most materially from the 

 Fulharn oak ; more especially in the general outline of the tree, and 

 its habit of growth, as will be seen by the accompanying sketches. 

 (Jigs. 17 12. and 1713.). Its bark is also much more corky than that of 

 the Fulham oak. The old Lucomhe oak cannot be propagated, with 

 any degree of certainty (being strictly a hybrid), from acorns, al- 

 though these are produced rather freely sometimes, and vegetate 

 well ; but the produce differs entirely from the parent ; and we there- 

 fore perpetuate it by grafting it upon stocks of the Quercus Cerris, 

 to which it freely unites, and flourishes amazingly ; frequently mak- 

 ing shoots from 5 ft. to 6 ft. high the first season from grafting. 

 The wood is of a close texture, and beautiful grain. The growth of 

 the tree is rapid, and its whole appearance extremely beautiful. 

 Sketch No. 1., by Mr. Tucker (fig. 1712.), represents the old Lu- 



